Say “hi” to Jonathan Tai, who has built up a respectable amount of experience in the renewable energy sector. Since joining the industry upon graduation in 2014 as a project engineer with an independent power producer in Singapore, he has been involved in several large-scale solar projects including rooftop, ground-mounted and floating solar photovoltaic systems.

Over the course of his career, he has noticed that some companies have been slow to adopt sustainable energy practices—and that this is often due to internal resistance to change, technical challenges, or a combination of both. This is an important consideration in his current job at a software company that helps other organisations accelerate their energy transition toward net zero emissions.

“It is not easy for an organisation to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, given that many organisations face various hurdles to achieve the goal,” he shares. “As a technical sales consultant, my role is to provide holistic views about the solutions proposed, which encompass both technical and commercial viability. I need a broad understanding about renewable energy systems to provide suitable solutions to help my customers to decarbonise better.”

Upgrading Himself

Jonathan believes that the sustainability industry holds exciting opportunities, and that he has a chance to become a pioneer in the field. That is one of the reasons why he has joined the Master of Science (MSc) in Energy Systems programme.

He will have to pace himself over the next few years, juggling a full-time job and graduate studies. Since his job requires him to travel frequently, time is a precious resource. Every moment he can dedicate to his studies is an opportunity to expand his horizons and learn about different aspects of energy systems.

Renewable Energy and its Future

Although renewable and clean energy sources are often seen as the ideal due to their green footprint, a commonly heard criticism is that their adoption may be more of a corporate public relations effort than any true intention to go green. Jonathan points to multi-national corporations, such as Shell and Apple, that have made public commitments to reduce their carbon footprint as a growing movement by companies to go green. Some of these companies have even brought in independent auditors to track, measure and report on their efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Carbon emissions and their impact on the environment have been spotlighted in the news, and in the past two decades, international bodies have taken steps to cut down emissions in order to save the world. This is represented by agreements such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as well as the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario by the International Energy Agency. To comply with these international frameworks, many countries are taking concrete steps towards achieving the goals contained within the agreements. Singapore is one such country, and the island nation has affirmed its commitment to reach the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 target.

The description of decarbonisation as a wicked problem is apt due to its complexity. Jonathan is aware of this, having had eight years of experience in this field. Despite being well-versed with solar and energy storage systems, he lacked knowledge about other related areas, such as low-carbon energy sources, emission-reduction techniques and sustainability methods for hard-to-abate sectors. Because these areas are wide and varied, Jonathan faced an uphill task to learn about everything he wanted to and to apply the knowledge in his work. 

One day, as he was browsing through LinkedIn, he came across a post by a connection of his, Associate Professor Lee Poh Seng. The professor shared that the National University of Singapore (NUS) was launching a multidisciplinary programme focusing on energy systems, to be taught by the College of Design and Engineering with contributions from the Energy Studies Institute. It seemed that having a carefully curated feed had helped Jonathan pinpoint which direction he needed to move towards.

The Future is Green